Snap coughed and wheezed as he tried to make his way through the fire. The heat was intense, and just getting worse by the second. He felt like he was a ham placed in an oven and lift in too long with the heat all the way up. It didn't help that he had a horrible limp that just keeps getting worse as he forced his way through as quickly as he could.

His friends weren't doing much better. Though they could move faster than him, they slowed down to make sure he caught up with them. They had a hard time dodging the flames and the fire. The crackling heat was all around them. The flames and the fire moved at incredible speed. Snap wondered if Bardot found a way to 'engineer' them to chase them.

Because that is what it felt like. The way the fire and the lava moved...it didn't feel normal. They were too fast, too precise. Any direction they ran in, the flames and fire followed them, as if they were giving chase. And if that's the case, then their situation was even more dire than they thought. How were they going to escape this if the fire and lava kept cutting off their paths?

"I can barely see!" Rapsheeba coughed, covering her face with her arm. Tears streamed down her face, the smoke irritating them. Her voice was scratchy, a clear effect of inhaling the smoke. "This smoke, it's..." She let out a few more coughs.

Blocky moved behind Rapsheeba, who had stopped while she coughed. He pushed against her. "Come on, Rapsheeba! We can't stop here!" He managed to move her forward just as a small fireball hit where she once was. "See?! Keep moving!"

Blocky was coughing as well, but it was clear he was going his best to manage it, knowing getting through the fire and lava was top priority. If they stayed here, they would either burn alive or choke to death. The smoke all around them was getting thicker and blacker by the second. More and more of the oxygen was being taken up, making it harder for the trio to breathe.

They were still moving at a good pace, which Snap regarded as hopeful. Though his friends tried to help him with his limp, he told them not to. He didn't want to slow them down. They wouldn't be able to move as fast if they kept helping him with his limp. He knew of the consequences he might endure. He knew that he could get badly hurt, or worse, if he didn't accept their help. But at least, this way, they had a chance to make it out alive and go find and rescue Rudy and Penny. If he had to take the fall, then he would, even though he didn't want to lose his life.

He tried to hide how much pain he was in from his friends. They could already tell he was, from the way he was limping, how the limp itself was getting worse. But that only scratched the surface of how he was feeling. His open wound, which Rapsheeba and Blocky weren't able to cover up, was irritated by the heat. He felt like his insides were starting to get cooked. He could feel the heat start to burn the wound. And as he ran, the wound had started to bleed again. He could feel it running down his body.

Snap looked all around them, trying desperately to find a way out. There was glowing fiery heat all around them. Smoke made it even harder to see. Everything looked like it was glowing. The brightness made it hard for him to focus and he had to shield his eyes. As he was looking, he failed the hear the cracking of a tree.

But Blocky did.

"Look out!"

Blocky lunged at Snap and pulled him away. Snap let out a cry of pain, the yank putting pressure on his wounds. Blocky quickly apologized and released Snap. Though twitching in pain, Snap didn't look particularly upset with Blocky. He instead looked over at the spot where he was, and his eyes widened.

A tree had falling there. All its leaves had been charred completely off, leaving it bare. The lava spread all around it, causing the tree to start to melt very slowly. It sunk into the ground. Fire swept across it, setting it ablaze. Snap's body shook at how fast the tree was consumed by the fire and lava. He turned to Blocky and Rapsheeba and urged them to keep moving along.

Soon, Snap's side was hurting so bad that he couldn't keep going. He fell to the ground, landing in a heavy thud. He tried to get himself to stand up. The pain in his side wracked through his body, forcing him to stay on the ground. The wound on his leg got worse as well. Now it was hard to bend it without shockwaves of pain spreading through.

"Snap!" Rapsheeba cried as she and Blocky ran towards him.

"Go on...the fire..." Snap started to say before the smoke irritated his throat, forcing him to cough.

Rapsheeba and Blocky refused to leave him behind. Despite what Snap told them earlier, they went beside him and grabbed his arms. They lifted him up and they started to carry him away from the fire. Just like Snap predicted, their pace was slower now that they were helping him. He appreciated the help, but he felt guilty that he was still slowing them down.

"Come on...I see an opening!" Rapsheeba shouted. She pointed forward. "The lake! We'll be safe in there!"

Yeah...the lake... That might work. It would at least keep the fire away from them. Snap wasn't so sure about the lava. Then again, the lake was pretty deep. It would take a lot of lava for it to rise up to touch them without cooling down much. Snap wasn't sure if the lake water was the best thing for his wounds. He cold get an infection from it. But cool water did sound good right about now. Maybe it would help slow down the bleeding too.

The three of them rushed towards the lake. They managed to dodge the fire and lava coming in from all around them. Despite the aggravating heat and irritating smoke, they kept moving as fast as they could. The fire couldn't get to them while in the water. They could find another way out once they got in the water. Maybe a secret tunnel or something they could use to get away from the flames. Or they could swim across to the other side, despite how steep it was. Snap could see the fire wasn't over there.

Soon, the trio jumped into the water. The instant of feeling the cold liquid against their bodies sent shockwaves through their systems. It was such a stark contrast compared to the fiery heat they had to endure. Their heads ached from the sudden change in temperature, making them feel a little sick.

The cold water hitting Snap's open wound felt both good..and terrible. The cool temperature did help numb the pain a little bit, but the feeling of water rushing into his insides was not a comfortable feeling. As he looked at the water, he noticed it was turning a dark red. His blood...he was losing more of it than he thought. Already he started to feel a little whoozy. He managed to shake it off and remain focused on his surroundings.

He and his friends began to swim over to the other side. The fire still hadn't reached that spot. If they could just get there quickly, they could make a break for it and locate the next riddle. Snap had a bit of an easier time swimming than walking since the water supported his weight and he wasn't putting pressure on his injured leg. The pain hadn't gone away by any means, but it was a tiny bit more manageable in the cold water. And at least, in this way, they were kinda getting cleaned out, even though there was a very big chance they were also going to get infected. He wasn't sure how clean this water was.

But of course...luck wasn't on his side this time. There was a loud whoosh sound. They couldn't tell where the source was, but they could tell what its effect was. Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky watched in horror as a tiny yellow orange line started to travel along the remaining part of the lake's edge. In seconds, fire shot through the air, creating a wall of flames that completely surrounded them. They looked around, horrified expressions on their faces as they frantically tried to find their way out.

Then, to add salt in the wound, the lava started to pour into the lake, dripping from one side of the lake. Thankfully, it didn't surround the lake like the fire did. But the three of them knew that the lava was going to raise the temperature of the lake pretty quickly...

They were completely trapped with nowhere to go. A wall of fiery heat kept them locked in, the temperature rising higher and higher. The smoke grew thicker, threatening to choke them to death. Now lava was filling the lake, which will raise the temperature and pretty much cook them to death. They had to get out of there and fast. But how? There was nowhere to go. There was no secret underground tunnel in this lake they could use. And with the lava down there, going underwater would just make things a lot worse for them. It really did seem completely hopeless at this point.

Snap winced as he felt the lake's temperature's rising already. The coolness that kept his sides from hurting as much went away. The numbness disappeared and now the water was starting to irritate him. And it was just going to get worse as the temperatures start to soar and the water begins to burn him. He had to find a way out of here, and fast.

"We're trapped!" Rapsheeba cried, looking all around her. She let out a few coughs. "But..there has to be some way out of here!"

"I'm sure there is!" Snap shouted. The roar of the fire made it hard for them to hear each other, so they had to practically yell to be heard. "We just need to think harder!"

"We can think as hard as we want to. I don't think that's going to help us get past the fire!" Blocky said, sounding absolutely terrified. "I never thought I'd go out like this."

"No one is going out!" Snap shouted, determination laced in his voice. "Not on my watch!"

"But what are we going to do?" Blocky asked.

Snap's expression softened. Though he wasn't willing to give up, he had to admit, he had no idea how he was going to get them out of this mess. "I don't know...I really don't know..."

sss

"Hmm it seems little Snappy boy is in a bit of a pickle." Bardot said jokingly. He paced around Rudy, staring him up and down. Rudy glared hatefully at him. "I wonder how he will get out of this mess."

"I don't think he will." Draow said, snarling a little. "Which means I won't have my chance to sink my teeth into that little blue rodent."

Bardot chuckled and shook his head. "Oh ye of little faith. That little blue rodent is more potent than he looks. I'm sure a little fire isn't going to stop him. Now..." Bardot said as he turned around, wagging his tail from side to side. "I'm going to go check the cameras again..see his progress. Maybe he made it out already." He gave Draow a sideways glance. "You stay here with our guests."

"Yes." Draow nodded obediently to the hybrid zoner. He looked down at Rudy, his muzzle curling into a smile. He kept his distance from the boy. He settled on the ground, almost like a bird...kinda, sorta. "Just you and me now, kid, eh?"

Rudy didn't bother answering him. He didn't want to see Draow. He didn't want to hear him. He wanted him to go away. His heart was filled with hate for this monster. He wished, for once, the two of them would leave him and Penny alone. He wanted some time away from them. Some time away from having to see their faces, or hear their voices. Especially after what they had done...

Rudy's gaze turned to Penny, who laid on the ground beside him. It was hard dragging her back over here with just one arm. He managed to do it, little by little. Penny was unconscious at the moment. She would wake up soon. He was certain of that. But she was going to be in a lot of pain. Draow hadn't exactly gone easy on her. Those screams..he'll never get them out of his head.

"Looks like your girlfriend lost a bit of her spark." Draow said, letting out a dark chuckle.

Rudy threw him a hateful glare. "Shut up."

Draow narrowed his eyes. "Watch it. You're lucky that Bardot wants you two alive for a while longer. Otherwise, I would have done much worse. You should be grateful I didn't kill her, because I sure would have done so in a heartbeat."

"She did nothing to deserve that..." Rudy said in a dark voice. The hostility practically glowed from his voice.

Draow's ears pricked. "Perhaps you are right, child. Because it is you that I hate the most." He moved his head forward a little. He curled his lips up, showing off his sharp fangs. "Oh I would love tear into you right now. But I must wait. I'll get my chance. And besides, torturing you mentally works just as well." He glanced at Penny's prone form for a second, then back to Rudy. "I'll have to settle for that, for the time being. It's just as satisfying toying with your girlfriend most of the time anyway."

Rudy snarled. His body shook in anger. He draped his left arm carefully over Penny in a protective manner. He stared at Draow with a determined look, clearly telling the beast, without words, that he is not going to allow him to hurt Penny anymore. It was an empty threat; there wasn't much he could do. But he would still try to protect Penny. She had been through enough already, yet these monsters continue to inflict pain on her.

Draow had cut along Penny's arm. Not too deeply, but it was in far enough to draw a good amount of blood from her. Penny had passed out from the pain. But the brute didn't stop there. He continued cutting along her arm until there was a pretty long gash. Then he took her in his jaws, his mouth clamped over her shoulder, and shook her, tearing up some flesh. Then he threw her into the ground with great force. Rudy was horrified by the sight of her torn shoulder.

In desperation and anger, he yelled at the two, asking them why would they risk such serious injuries if they wanted them alive for a while. And when Bardot spoke, it was the most chilling thing he ever heard. Bardot walked up to him, put his face close to his, and and spoken in a soft voice. He told the boy that keeping them alive merely meant they still had a heart beat. He said that, even if they were beaten within an inch of their life, unconscious and unable to move, so long as they had a heart beat, he was good on his word.

That was horrifying for Rudy to hear. Bardot basically said that he could do all kinds of horrific things to them, but as long as they were at least barely alive, it would suit his needs. He also mentioned that letting them bleed out would also help with the dehydration thing. As if dying of thirst wasn't bad enough... As he and Penny lose more and more blood, and as they grow weaker, it was speeding up the dehydration process.

Then came the most terrifying part. Bardot mentioned that, at the rate they will be losing blood, they will die of dehydration in a matter of three days from the point of their capture. This chilled Rudy to the bone, as he realized that they had been captives for over 24 hours now. It is on day 2. They only had until sometime tomorrow or the day after to live.

That gave Snap even less time to find them. Rudy still tried to remain hopeful, though. Heck, even Bardot still believed Snap would be able to pull through. That was one of the very few credits Rudy cold give to that hybrid beast. He didn't underestimate his enemies. He fully accepted that Snap could be a threat to him, never once laughing at the idea of Snap making it all the way to challenge him. Although considering Bardot was their kidnapper and Penny's father's murderer, he wasn't about to give Bardot a whole lot of leeway.

He was torn from his thoughts when Draow spoke again.

"It's going to be so satisfying if that cobalt maggot you call a friend gets here.. By the time he does, he will be so beaten up from Bardot's games that it will be easy for me to kill him." Draow sneered. "It might be a little disappointing..I like feeling my victims squirm as I tear into them. But it will still be satisfying nonetheless. And I will enjoy looking at your expression as I crush his skull open..."

Rudy snapped his head back and snarled, clenching his teeth tightly. He would have said something, but what could he say to this monster? It wasn't like he had any regrets. Rudy didn't think he even could do such a thing, as that would require having a heart. And this guy clearly lacked one.

Draow just smirked at his silence. "Your parents will be fun to toy with, too... I wonder if they even know your little secret, Rudy. I wonder how they will feel when they find out."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror, then narrowed in hatred. "Don't you fucking dare touch my parents..."

Draow's ears flattened and his eyes glowed with hate, but a smile remained on his muzzle, though it was pretty faint. "You forget who is in charge here, kid... And besides.. Don't you miss mommy and daddy?" Draow asked in a taunting voice. "Don't you think you'll be able to endure this better...as a family?" He chuckled.

Rudy felt the urge to lunge at Draow, but he kept himself on the ground. He wasn't in any condition to be jumping at anyone. And he wanted to keep his mind focused on Penny. He did his best to ignore Draow after that and focused on Penny. Though Draow made a few more cold remarks, he did eventually go quiet when he realized Rudy was no longer going to respond to him. Draow laid his head on the ground and closed his eyes.

Rudy gently ran his left hand along the back of Penny's head, stroking her hair. He drew in a shaky breath, overlooking her arm's horrific new injury. He looked up towards the rocky ceiling. He gave a soft whisper.

"Please, hurry Snap."

sss

Snap kept looking around, trying to find a way out of the flames. His friends were coughing harder. So was he. The heat was getting unbearable. The temperature of the water rose greatly. It was now pretty warm, and it was going to get burning hot really soon. The pain in his injuries started to get worse, and it was starting to get a little difficult keeping his head above the water.

There didn't seem to be any way out of this. All the paths were blocked. There was no tunnel underwater they could use. The edges of the lake were covered in flames. He looked around again, desperate to find a way out. But nothing seemed to pop up. There was no escape route. They were trapped. There was no way out of here. His heart started to race, realizing this might really be the end for them.

No... He shook his head. No, there had to be some way out. Something he was not thinking of. He looked all around. Then he started to realize something. Perhaps he needed to think a little differently. All this time, he was busy trying to find a place where there wasn't any fire. But maybe a slightly different approached would be the better one.

And then he saw it. He saw something that just might allow them to escape. He looked at his two friends. They were in obvious distress. He looked back at what he saw. It was crazy. It was suicidal. But it was their only chance now.

Ignoring the pain in his leg, side, and arm, he grabbed Rapsheeba and Blocky. Using as much strength as he could muster, he started swimming in one direction. He moved as fast as he could, doing his best to ignore the heat and the pain. He pushed his legs harder, propelling them faster through the water.

Blocky shouted, "Snap! Are you crazy?!"

"Stop!" Rapsheeba cried in terror. "This is suicide!"

Snap didn't listen. He didn't answer. He was focusing his attention on swimming forward. He refused to let go of his friends. He kept them pressed up against him. Although it hurt, he did his best to manage it. A few tears of pain dripped from his eyes and he let out a few whimpers, but otherwise, his mind was focused on what was head. He was swimming straight towards the fire, to a small section where the fire was the thinnest.

He had only one shot at this. One wrong move, and they were toast. Literally. He pushed himself even harder, moving even faster towards the thin part of the fire wall. As they almost got to the right point, Snap started to tense up his leg muscles, storing more and more energy in them. And then, when the got to the right point, he leaped out of the water, holding his friends at his sides still. He closed his eyes and held his breath, praying they would make it.

The three of them soared through the air. They went past the flames. Screams of pain filled the air as the fire hit them, starting to burn them a little. But they went through so fast that not a whole lot f fire managed to get on them. They hit the ground in a heavy thud and roll across the grass. The few flames that managed to light on them were immediately put out.

They laid on the ground, coughing and wheezing. All of them sported a few burn marks from the fire. Snap's side wound looked even worse now. The wound looked a little burnt. Not much. Not enough to be life threatening, but his side hurt even worse now. And the wounds on his leg and arm faired no better, the cloth burnt from the flames.

But though they were out of the flames, they weren't out of the woods just yet. They all had inhaled so much smoke that their minds were unable to function properly at the moment. Dizziness overwhelmed them. Their heads swayed back and forth before they finally collapse on the ground, going unconscious.